This episode addresses some issues about the controversial topic of English teaching in Puerto Rico. Understanding language policies established in Puerto Rico since the island became a U.S. colony (1898) helps us figure out why after more than a century of U.S. occupation, the majority of Puerto Ricans do not consider themselves bilingual.

References

Tollefson, J.W. (Introduction). (2002). Language policies in education: Critical issues. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Torres González, R. (2002). Idioma, bilingüismo y nacionalidad: La presencia del inglés en Puerto Rico Rio Piedras, PR: Editorial de la Universidad de Puerto Rico.

Trías-Monge, J. (1997). Puerto Rico: The trials of the oldest colony in the world. New Haven: Yale University.

Algrén de Gutiérrez, E. (1987). The movement against teaching English in schools of Puerto Rico. New York: University Press of America.

Statistics on Puerto Rican Literacy in 1890-1900